Read this year's headlines in our monthly calendar of events and discover snippets about everyday life with our FLASHBACK facts. It's time to go back to the Falklands War, the launch of Channel 4, the cinematic blockbuster ET, the Young Ones on TV and the World Cup in Spain. It's time to go back to... 1982.
Timeline '82Close All
January |
Shortly after take-off an Air Florida Boeing 737 crashes into the Potomac River in Washington killing 74 people |
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"Brassed Off" (Daily Mirror) – England records its lowest-ever temperature of -26.1°C as a big freeze sweeps the country |
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The first episode of BBC's The Computer Programme airs despite delays to the BBC Micro |
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The PM's son Mark Thatcher disappears for three days during a car rally in the Sahara |
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Busty Erica Roe streaks at Twickenham during the England-Australia rugby match |
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UK unemployment exceeds 3M for the first time |
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The Stranglers release the year's most played song Golden Brown |
At Dixons a Hitachi VCR costs £399 and a VHS E180 tape £7.99
February |
Laker Airways collapses leaving 6,000 people stranded around the world |
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Due to the popularity of Bingo the Sun newspaper now sells 4M copies per day |
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The DeLorean Motor Company goes bust – 1,100 workers lose their jobs in Northern Ireland |
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The Jam are the first act since The Beatles to perform both songs of their double A side No. 1 on the same Top Of The Pops show |
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The first Next store opens in Regents Street London selling only women's clothing |
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After beating England 16-15 at Twickenham Ireland go on to win rugby's Five Nations |
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The Jam's Town Called Malice enters at No. 1 |
Ciabatta bread is invented by a Verona baker
March |
Fifty Argentinians land on South Georgia and seize the remote island for their country |
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Roy Jenkins wins the Glasgow Hillhead by-election for the SDP |
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In Los Angeles British-made Chariots of Fire wins the Oscar for Best Picture |
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Harry H. Corbett famous for starring in Steptoe and Son dies of a heart attack aged 57 |
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"New EEC Cash Row" (Daily Mirror) – Britain has been hit with a £622 million bill for this year's Common Market contributions |
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The premiere of The Spy Who Love Me is the most-watched TV programme of the year |
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A Flock Of Seagulls have their first hit with I Ran |
"Never economise at your own expense" – Johnny Walker whisky
April |
About 2,000 Argentinian troops invade the Falkland Islands precipitating war with Britain |
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Arthur Lowe famous for playing Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army dies aged 66 |
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Falklands War: A 40-ship naval task force leaves Britain for the South Atlantic |
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Amateur Dick Saunders riding Grittar is the oldest jockey to win the Grand National |
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Adam Ant splits from his group The Ants to pursue a solo career |
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Nicole's A Little Peace wins the Eurovision Song Contest for Germany – Britain finishes 7th with One Step Further by Bardo |
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Ghosts by Japan reaches the Top 10 |
Tommy Vance is the presenter of Radio 1's Top 40 Show on Sunday evenings
May |
Falklands War: nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentinian warship General Belgrano killing 300 sailors |
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Pressure mounts on the British teams to withdraw from the World Cup over concerns of a clash with Argentina |
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Falklands War: HMS Sheffield, HMS Antelope and HMS Coventry are all lost in action |
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Late-night chat show Wogan airs for the first time on BBC1 – his guests include Bruce Forsyth and Paula Yates |
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Falklands War: straight-faced and thin-lipped Defence Ministry spokesman Ian McDonald becomes an unlikely TV personality |
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Aston Villa win the European Cup and Liverpool are league champions |
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Only You by Yazoo reaches No. 2 |
Top Of The Pops is shortened to 30 minutes and starts at 7:30pm
June |
Falklands War: Argentinian troops surrender at Port Stanley |
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Princess Diana gives birth to a son – Prince William is second in line to the British throne |
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In the World Cup England beat fancied France 3-1 and Northern Ireland shock Spain by winning 1-0 |
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President Reagan addresses an historic joint session of Parliament |
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American TV show Fame debuts in the UK and becomes a huge hit with teenagers |
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Roberto Calvi a banker with ties to the Vatican and the Mafia is found hanged under Blackfriars Bridge in London |
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The Look Of Love is the second Top 10 hit for ABC |
Unemployment averages 3.12M for the year
July |
Two IRA bombs explode in Hyde Park and Regent's Park in London killing eight soldiers |
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The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is released in the UK – it will sell 5M units worldwide |
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After failing to beat Spain in the second round England exit the World Cup which is won by Italy |
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"The Joy Of Roy" (Daily Mirror) – Roy Jenkins is elected leader of the SDP |
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Michael Fagan breaks into the Queen's bedroom at Buckingham Palace |
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At Wimbledon Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova are the singles champio |
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Fame by Irene Cara is No. 1 for three weeks |
A gallon of four-star petrol costs £1.72 (or 38p per litre)
August |
A soldier believed to have been killed in the Falklands is found alive after living for six weeks in a remote hut |
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Sir Ranulph Fiennes completes a three-year transglobe expedition visiting both poles |
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England skipper Kevin Keegan transfers from Southampton to second division Newcastle |
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Ingrid Bergman who starred in Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart dies aged 67 |
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The first CD factory outside Japan opens in Germany – the first album it manufactures is The Visitors by ABBA |
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Blondie's forthcoming European tour is cancelled due to poor ticket sales |
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If You Want My Love is Cheap Trick's first UK hit |
W H Smith is selling the ZX81 computer for £49.95
September |
Princess Grace of Monaco (former actress Grace Kelly) dies 36 hours after a car crash |
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After 139 years the telegram service closes – it had cost £1.50 + 15p per word to send one |
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In the US the tabloid USA Today is first published – its leads with the death of Princess Grace |
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Cult movie Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford is released in the UK |
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Keke Rosberg of Finland wins the F1 championship |
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Legendary 60s singer Roy Orbison is suing his manager for $50Mn |
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Dire Straits is the unofficial No. 1 with Private Investigations |
China becomes the first country to have a population of 1 billion
October |
EPCOT Centre opens at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida |
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Sony launches the first compact disc player in Japan – the CDP101 costs £450 |
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King Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose is lifted from the Solent seabed |
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Star Wars debuts on British TV – Darth Vader is on the TV Times cover with the line "The force comes to ITV" |
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Billy Joel's album 52nd Street is the first available on CD – but only in Japan |
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Disney's Tron – the first movie to extensively use computer animation – is released in the UK |
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The original line-up of The Clash sign off with Straight To Hell |
Saturday Superstore with Mike Read is the new children's TV show on Saturday mornings
November |
Channel 4 starts broadcasting – quiz show Countdown is the first programme |
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Soviet leader Leonid Breshnev dies and is succeeded by Yuri Andropov |
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Channel 4's live rock show The Tube launches – its first programme includes The Jam, Sting and Duran Duran |
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"Fears For Di's Health" (Daily Mirror) – tabloids are speculating that the Princess is stressed and is losing weight |
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The Sierra replaces the bestselling Cortina as Ford's mid-sized family car |
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Cult TV comedy The Young Ones debuts on BBC2 |
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The Pretenders are in the Top 10 with Back On The Chain Gang |
The mortgage rate falls to 10% - the lowest for four years
December |
After breaking US box office records Steven Spielberg's ET opens in UK cinemas |
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Michael Jackson's Thriller is released – it will become one of the biggest selling albums in the UK |
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Grease, Moonraker and The Snowman are given British TV premieres over Christmas |
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ABBA make their final public appearance on BBC's The Late Late Breakfast Show |
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The first episode of sitcom Allo Allo airs on BBC1 |
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Daley Thompson is crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year |
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Beat Surrender is the final single from The Jam – it enters at No. 1 |
Time Magazine's Person of the Year is… the computer